As many of you know, since I’ve teased it here and there over the past few months, I have been editing a new anthology for Nephilim Press entitled Ritual Offerings: Feeding Your Spirits, Empowering Your Magick.

Throughout history, ritual offerings have been the central pillar of all magick (and religion). Very often, a magickal ritual consists of nothing more than the making of a prescribed offering to a particular spirit in a specified time and place. Yet, here in the West, the making of an offering has been equated with the worship of the spirit receiving it. The act of offering a spirit something as payment for services rendered has close associations with the dreaded “pact with the Devil,” by which a magician surely sells his soul to damnation.

But, to the rest of the world an offering is intended to feed and empower a spiritual entity, and to pay it fairly for the work it does. We cannot expect the spirits to simply manifest what we desire out of thin air—it takes energy for them to accomplish your goals, and they need to get that energy from somewhere.

The art of making proper offerings to spirits is a complex one, rife with strict protocols and warnings for your safety. But if you take the time to learn this ancient and powerful art, it will supercharge your magick like nothing you’ve experienced before.

Altar and Offerings to Sachiel

In Ritual Offerings, twelve practical occultists have come together to share their knowledge and experience with this fascinating subject. Traditions from around the world are discussed – from Solomonic magick to Tibetan Buddhism, from New Orleans Voodoo and Hatian Voudou to Western Hermetic Theurgy and more. Regardless of your tradition, this manual will guide you in feeding your patrons and familiars safely and effectively.

The final edits have been submitted, and I expect the book to ship to the printer any day now. Keep an eye on this blog as I will soon announce the release date. 🙂 In the meantime, enjoy this excerpt from the introduction:

Offering Altar to Archangel Samael

Why Ritual Offerings?

Nearly every author in this book has reported that their magick was “supercharged” by the inclusion of ritual offerings in their spells. Likewise, their students have responded with similar results. Spells that used to take weeks to produce results suddenly happen overnight. Summoned spirits that used to appear weak or far away suddenly become strong and very much present. Talismans begin to have their effect much faster. Why should this be the case?

Because spirits are important to your magick. Today it is quite common
to see spirit work listed as a “type” of magick: To accomplish your goals you might choose (for example) a talisman, a spell, an incantation, or summon a spirit. However, this is not how magick was viewed in the ancient world.

Spirits were not merely an option, a tool to be utilized when the magician deemed it necessary. No, spirits were the very heart and soul of all magick. That talisman you consecrated has a spirit attached to it, who accomplishes the intended goal. The incantation you used worked because the spirits heard it and acted upon it. You were not alone when you cast that spell; your patrons and familiars were present and casting the spell with you. And what about spirit summoning, like we see in grimoires such as the Key of Solomon or the Goetia? Those are methods of first-contact with the spirits, who will then teach the summoner how to do proper magick with things like — you guessed it — talismans, spells, and incantations.

In all of the above, spirits are the common factor. It is the shaman’s relationship with the local spirits that makes his magick work so impressively. He knows how to attract them, gains their respect, and uses ritual offerings to feed and empower them so they can protect the tribe.

Magickal Offerings in Western Occultism

Some still choose to view spirit-feeding as a symbolic act — a kind of earthy sympathetic magick whereby we use food to activate otherwise non-physical (spiritual) currents here on the physical plane. Others, like myself and many of the authors in this book, feel the Western gods, angels, and spirits have gone without feeding for far too long; thus, if you feed them as part of your magick, they respond in a big way. No matter how you choose to interpret it, the knowledgeable use of offerings will produce impressive results; they will “supercharge” your magick.

I don’t see any relationship between the two concepts at all. That is, the mere act of making a spirit offering is not the “same” as creating a psychic vampire. That’s just the kind of Western thinking this book is working to correct.

Although (and I assume this is where you are coming from) it is entirely possible to develop a relationship with a spirit where it gains control and simply takes your offerings without ever keeping up its end of the relationship. That can indeed become a dangerous situation very fast, where the spirit is the one calling the shots. And that’s why several essays in the book address that issue (in fact one essay is entirely about that issue) and teach how to perform the art safely. 😉

Good point.
Make an offering can be a simple way to show that your intentions are clear and sincere. And also as a courtesy to please the guest spirit.
Or even a form of payment or reward for a result.
This help to make a working relationship with the spirits you choose to work with.
In some cases there may be abuse and falsehoods by certain spirits. Especially when there are mixture of practices or the use of shortcuts that omit important parts, such as protection and keep a necessary distance. This is what I wrote about.
Vampires? Some may act like it, but I think vampires are more evolved than certain “things” that we can find.
And this can cause immense problems and cost many years of work.